Todd Akin is considering a primary challenge to Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) in 2016. “I have not ruled anything out,” the former congressman and 2012 GOP Senate nominee told The Hill in a phone interview on Wednesday. “I think there is a high level of dissatisfaction among conservatives, that they have to some degree been pushed out of the Republican Party,” he continued. “The sentiment is there. The Tea Party is skeptical and wants some fresh blood, not just the same establishment guys.” Akin’s reemergence is sure to be an unwelcome development for national Republicans. During his 2012 race against...

WASHINGTON—Congressman Todd Akin (R-MO), ranking member of the House Armed Services Seapower and Expeditionary Forces Subcommittee today, sent a letter cosigned by 47 colleagues to President Obama urging a full and thorough investigation of the ACLU’s John Adams project which may have intentionally revealed the identity of covert CIA operatives to members of Al Qaeda currently held at Guantanamo Bay. The following is the list of cosigners on the letter to President Obama regarding the alleged outing of covert CIA agents by ACLU’s John Adam’s project: Todd Akin (R-MO), Robert Aderholt (R-AL), Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), Rob Bishop (R-UT), Marsha Blackburn...

There are a whole bunch of Democrats running for Senate this year, though in this case “running” seems to mean running as far away as possible from failed liberal messiah Barack Obama. You’d practically think they were Tea Partiers by the way they publicly espouse conservative principles like support for the family, protection from crime, and respect for religion. But they can't run away from their duty to repudiate the single most offensive, anti-woman, anti-family, anti-Christian candidate running under their Democrat Party’s banner. Meet Democrat Amanda Curtis. She took over as the Democrat Senate candidate in Montana after Democrat John...

An analysis of public records by the National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC) has found more than $20 million in federal stimulus funds benefitting real estate projects financially tied to Joseph Shepard, husband of Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill. Earlier this month, the Associated Press published an analysis , stating, "businesses affiliated with the husband of Senator Claire McCaskill have received almost $40 million in federal subsidies for low-income housing developments during her first five years in office..." The NLPC analysis released today showed more than $20 million in financial benefits from the federal stimulus law to real estate projects associated...

Game Changer? The federal government paid nearly $40 million dollars to Claire McCaskill’s husband’s businesses her first five years in office as Missouri Senator. During that time McCaskill has had influence over federal policy that has directly affected her family’s income. Missouri royalty - The rest of the country has suffered but Claire McCaskill and her husband Joseph Shepard have done very well these past five years. There are renewed calls for Democrat McCaskill to release her tax returns. ABC3040 reported: Businesses affiliated with the husband of Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill have received almost $40 million in federal subsidies for...

Former Rep. Todd Akin said he regrets the comments he made about “legitimate rape” which derailed his Missouri bid for U.S. Senate last year. In an interview with KDSK-TV on Thursday, the 65-year-old was asked whether he would take back the controversial comments. “Of course I would,” the former congressman replied. “I’ve relived them too many times. But that is not reality.” …

For going on seven years, I have lived in Rockford, IL—a city with a fairly miserable reputation around the country. Whenever you find a "Top Ten Worst Cities" list, you're almost sure to find Rockford. Just last week, I noticed a local merchant selling T-shirts that read: Misery Loves Company: Visit Rockford, Illinois. Truth be told, Rockford is not nearly as bad as some would have you believe, but last week we again made national headlines for all the wrong reasons. Katie Stockton was sentenced to fifty years in prison on Friday for leaving her newborn, baby daughter to freeze...

>Earlier I shared what happened when I asked an AP reporter and a Washington Post reporter about their personal Gosnell blackouts.It was so illuminating that I decided to check out a few other media outlets. I headed over to Politico. Since Washington Post reporter Sarah Kliff tried to justify her lack of coverage of the Gosnell trial by calling it a local crime story, I thought Iâ€™d add other local stories into my search. Thanks for the idea! So hereâ€™s what I found out. Politicoâ€˜s search engine pops out 165 results on Trayvon Martin (local crime story in Florida), 94...

Gun Control: The silent media ignore a Colorado Democrat who says women don't need firearms to defend themselves from predators and a patronizing vice president who says women can't handle an AR-15 anyway. On Monday, the Colorado House passed four gun control bills. Among them is HB13-1226. It would ban concealed weapons on college campuses, as if creating more gun-free zones, such as the one around the Aurora, Colo., theater, where 12 were killed and another 59 wounded, will prevent more massacres. Colorado is a concealed-carry state, as was Virginia at the time of the Virginia Tech shootings. But like...

Turns out the New York Times is worried about the future of the Republican Party. So concerned, in fact, it has dedicated more than 6,000 words in this week’s magazine to explore, as the title puts it, “Can The Republicans Be Saved From Obsolescence?” Indeed, the folks at The Times seem extremely concerned that which they hate might not survive. And by “concerned” I mean they’re hoping. That The Times would seek to harm Republicans, and more specifically conservatives, is about as shocking as Piers Morgan doing a special episode on the need for gun control. But that so...

The United States, from day one, was a project about principles and ideals. The super power that emerged and grew from the handful of colonists that began settling here was not the product of where those colonists happened to land, but the ideals and principles in their head and heart – applied in how they lived their lives. The Republican Party was founded in 1854 to address one great blot on the nation’s founding legacy – the existence of slavery in a nation founded under the ideal of freedom under God. Runaway slave and self-educated abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass said...

Karl Rove versus Steve King. Rove was one of President Bush's top advisors, but now Iowa's open Senate seat has one of America's top Republican operatives gearing up to fight one of his own, vetting candidates who have a history of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. And, that apparently includes Congressman Steve King. Steven Law, the CEO of American Crossroads, told the New York Times: "We're concerned about Steve King's Todd Akin problem....All of the things he's said are going to be hung around his neck," says Law. Law is apparently referring to comments King made to...

Two powerful conservative groups say a new American Crossroads’ initiative, formed to work against Republican candidates it deems unelectable, is just another attempt to muzzle the GOP’s true base. American Crossroads, a super PAC founded by a group led by former Bush White House advisor Karl Rove, was the largest Republican super PAC of the 2012 election cycle. The idea behind the PAC’s latest effort is to intensely vet prospective contenders for Congressional races to weed out candidates who are seen as too flawed to win general elections, The New York Times reported Sunday. The new organization, the Conservative Victory...

This past weekend, I was down in Washington and had a chance to talk to some Republican lawmakers and strategists on Capitol Hill about the trouncing we took in the presidential election. Over and over again, the fear that the conservative pro-life position may have contributed to our loss came up. Their solution? We have to stop talking about it. But this cannot be an option. The respect for life is a moral imperative that defines conservatism as much as fiscal responsibility. Conservatism cannot abandon it and remain uncompromised. Over time, liberalism has normalized abortion, first insisting it should be...

U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill beat embattled Republican Congressman Todd Akin by a overwhelming margin in Missouri's Senate race Tuesday night. With 99% of precincts reporting, the Democratic Senator lead Akin by a whopping 54.7% to 39.2%, according to the Missouri Secretary of State. Akin conceded the shortly before 10 p.m. CST., the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. "Things don't always turn out the way you wanted," Akin said in his concession speech. He ran on a platform that criticized incumbent McCaskill for supporting Obamacare, the stimulus act, and her family's close ties to federal money, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.

National Review reporter Robert Costa talks to an unnamed Mitt Romney adviser who indicates there are a lot of hard feeling between Romney’s inner circle and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie over the latter’s embrace of President Obama after Hurricane Sandy: Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, the adviser adds, is persona non grata in Romney’s inner circle. “He went out of his way to embrace the president during the final week of the campaign,” the adviser says. “It wasn’t necessary and it hurt us. Todd Akin, Richard Mourdock, and Chris Christie undermined the Republican message.” Christie, of course, had...

Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill secured a second term in the Senate, defeating Republican challenger Todd Akin in a hard-fought contest that gained national attention over controversial remarks about rape and pregnancy.

Most Americans will focus on election results in Ohio and Florida to see who rides those states’ Electoral College votes into the White House. But the winner of the presidential race will not automatically control the 2013 legislative agenda. Congress still matters. The battle for control of the U.S. Senate is vitally important and just as hard-fought as the top-of-the-ticket contest. Currently, a caucus of 51 Democrats and two liberal Independents rule the upper chamber. Since the Vice President can cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate, Republicans would have to pick up three seats to gain a working majority...

Polls showing him gaining on McCaskill has led to an infusion of funds for campaign ads on Akin's behalf Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) is showing signs of a newfound strength on the campaign trail — making multiple new ad buys as polling shows him gaining on Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.). Akin and groups supporting him are making a $1.75 million investment in campaign ads this week, according to his campaign, allowing him to air a wider variety of ads than the incumbent Senator for the first time in the entire race. That influx of cash has wider implications than just...

Now Or Never Political Action Committee will spend $800,000 on television ads for Republican Todd Akin, who is campaigning against incumbent Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, The Hill reports. The group’s ad asks voters who “don’t agree with everything he says” to back Akin anyway, and it focuses on winning Senate control and defeating McCaskill. “In the Senate, Akin will vote for Romney’s policies to get Americans working again,” according to the ad. “Claire McCaskill would fight Romney every step of the way. To avoid Washington gridlock and get this country back to work, our best choice is Todd Akin.”

(CNN) - Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill's 84-year-old mother, Betty Anne Ward McCaskill, died on Monday, the senator from Missouri said in a statement on Monday. "For some time, mom's health has not been good, and our family takes comfort that she is now at rest," McCaskill wrote. "People all over the state have asked about her, and their prayers and concern have been greatly appreciated."

Claire McCaskill is missing in action during the heat of the campaign. I understand from what little information is available in the media that her mother is seriously ill, and Claire is "at her bedside" and won't leave St. Louis. Strangely, Claire missed the DNC convention because her mother was ill. According to published reports I've seen. However, what coincidental timing. Todd Akin's campaign has been pushing out info about her husband's business dealings, receive $50 to $60 million in stimulus dollars. Now a week before a major election with the balance of the Senate hanging perilously over Claire's head,...

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - Democratic Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill holds a slim lead of 2 percentage points over Republican challenger Todd Akin - essentially a deadlock - in a race being closely watched following Akin's controversial comments on "legitimate rape," a poll released on Saturday showed. McCaskill had been seen as one of the most vulnerable incumbent Democrats but has led Akin in most polls since he said in August that women could biologically defend themselves against pregnancy caused by "legitimate rape." Akin said later he misspoke when he made the remark, which led to widespread rebukes even from...

A new poll shows the Missouri Senate race is too close to predict a winner. The News 4, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star poll shows Senator Claire McCaskill with a 2 percent lead over Congressman Todd Akin, at 45 and 43 percent, respectively. With a margin of error at plus or minus four points, and eight percent still undecided, the two remain in a statistical dead heat. Click here to download and view full poll results. Watch News 4 at 10 p.m. for more analysis, and reactions from both campaigns.

A new poll from Wenzel Strategies shows Rep. Todd Akin leading incumbent Senator Claire McCaskill in the race for the Senate seat in Missouri. It’s big news that Akin is still alive and kicking despite being abandoned by the national Republican Party leadership. Akin, who refused to succumb to pressure from his own party leadership to get out of the race after poorly expressing himself in an interview on the issue of rape and abortion, has been left to his own resources and friends to raise funds. According to the just published fundraising report for the last quarter, going through...

Nearly two months ago, Todd Akin bought time on Missouri television to ask forgiveness from voters over regrettable remarks he made about rape. Most scoffed that electoral forgiveness would be forthcoming, and predicted doom and defeat for Republicans in a Senate race most had assumed they would win against unpopular incumbent Claire McCaskill. As soon as it became impossible for Akin to withdraw, McCaskill began bombarding Akin with ads over his statement, and few gave Akin any hope for a comeback.A new poll from Wenzel Strategies (via James Hohmann at Politico's Morning Score) might show a glimmer of that hope,...

Citizens United Political Victory Fund (CUPVF), the affiliated PAC of Citizens United, released a poll today conducted by Wenzel Strategies, showing Congressman Todd Akin in the lead against incumbent Senator Claire McCaskill in the Missouri United States Senate race. The poll was conducted via telephone survey of likely General Election voters from October 12-13, included 1,000 respondents, and has a 3.07% margin of error

A few weeks ago, I was asked to emcee a fund-raising dinner for Rep. Todd Akin, who is rather famously running for U.S. Senate in Missouri, the state in which I live. Although I did not hesitate to accept the invite, I found myself resisting the urge to promote the event, and my involvement in it. The reason was simple enough. I worried about the reaction of my moderate to liberal friends and family. After scolding myself for my indecision, I went ahead and posted the details of the fundraiser on Facebook with this explanation: ***** I am emceeing a...

Given what's come out of the mouth of Rep. Todd Akin (R) in the last couple months, casual observers might assume he no longer stands a chance anymore to oust incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) from her Missouri Senate seat. They would be wrong. A poll released by We Ask America on Oct. 2 shows McCaskill had a lead of less than a percentage point over Akin, 46 to 45.2; that's less than the margin of error, with 8.8 percent of voters undecided

The Democrats are in a full on freak out over Ohio. Harry Reid is giving his Super PAC $250,000.00 to run ads attacking Josh Mandel. ... Senator Bennet of Colorado is sending out emails to his supporters with the subject line “Buckeye for a day.” ... This isn’t just to help Bennett. This is to help Barack Obama too. The Democrats are going all in there. Consider, in contrast, Missouri, where the GOP has totally bailed on Todd Akin and the Presidential race in Missouri likewise went from a sure thing for Romney to now a borderline toss up. The...

The third definition of "patriot" in the Oxford English Dictionary is "A person actively opposing enemy forces occupying his or her country; a member of a resistance movement, a freedom fighter. Originally used of those who opposed and fought the British in the American War of Independence." The term first was used in the U.S. by Benjamin Franklin in a 1773 letter. It referred to people who stood in opposition of those pledged to the British Crown -- the Tories aka loyalists. On Oct. 7, 1780, American patriots prevailed against loyalists in the Carolinas and won their first Southern...

Republican Senate candidate Todd Akin on Thursday released a decade's worth of federal financial reports he has updated with nearly $130,000 in state pension income that he received, but failed to disclose, over that time.

At the end of the day, I’ll support the conservative who makes a lousy gynecologist over the liberal who makes a lousy senator. The deadline has passed and Todd Akin has failed to take the advice of pretty much everyone else in the conservative movement and drop out of the Missouri senate race. He’s the candidate going into the election against Claire McCaskill, a liberal Democrat who provided Obama’s winning Obamacare vote and has been there every step of the way in the progressive quest to turn this country into a crony-capitalist, welfare state nightmare. Easy call. I’ll back the...

One of the tragedies of the Obama Administration is the historic political accident that it had 60 Senate Democratic votes in 2009. The ability to break a filibuster without Republican votes empowered the left to think it could pass anything, and so it steamrolled ahead with ObamaCare, which needed every one of those 60 votes to pass. Now a couple of those Senators are expressing regrets about those votes after the fact. In our pages last week, former Indiana Democrat Evan Bayh rehearsed the looming economic damage from ObamaCare's medical-device tax. He described, as some of us predicted in 2009...

[Snip] Meanwhile, McCaskill has tried to make Missourians aware of her moderate stance. Most people wouldn’t brag about being ranked No. 50 for anything, but she has. She’s parlayed that number as proof that she’s truly a political moderate in her quest for reelection. The number comes from the National Journal’s annual lists ranking U.S. Senators from most liberal to most conservative and vice versa, based on their voting records. McCaskill has always fallen in the middle 10; this year she’s at No. 50 on the liberal list and No. 51 for conservatives. Her rankings have been consistent, too: Every...

Republicans continue to reach out to embattled Missouri Senate candidate Todd Akin, this time with a much needed fundraiser, despite Democrats promising re-election attacks on supporters. Sens. Jim DeMint and Lindsey Graham, S.C., and Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn, Okla., will be honorary hosts of a Washington fundraiser next week for Akin. The event suggests donations from $2,500 to $100 a person and is scheduled for Wednesday, as reported first by Politico. Democrats and Republicans called for Akin to quit the race after he made controversial remarks last month about rape. Akin apologized but has continued his campaign to unseat...

The deadline for Todd Akin to withdraw from the Missouri Senate race has passed, and Akin remains a candidate. No surprise there; it’s been clear for quite some time that Akin is committed to fighting for this seat.And it looks like he has a chance to win it. That, at least, is the view presented pretty persuasively in two articles by Politico. The most recent Rasmussen poll had Akin 6 points behind, but that was two weeks ago. I don’t believe there have been any polls of this race since.Akin’s advantage is that the fundamentals in Missouri strongly favor...

Other than Ted Cruz’s campaign...the most excited I have seen the GOP base this entire election cycle is what I witnessed the past two days in St. Louis surrounding Todd Akin. There is some tension...within social conservative ranks...about how best to proceed with our political activism. One group prefers perpetuating the old paradigm of partisan, access-based politics. An emerging group, of which I am a part, believes that hasn’t worked and it’s time to put principle before party. “We’re tired of being bullied by the party establishment.” ...one name was never mentioned the entire time...Not by...Rick Perry, Phyllis Schlafly, [Akin],...

Our colleagues take a close look today at Republicans' path to 51 in the Senate now that the Missouri Senate race is tilting in Democrats' favor. (RELATED: NRSC Softens Stance on Akin) Republicans thought they could count on Rep. Todd Akin to beat Sen. Claire McCaskill, but since his comments about rape, polling suggests the GOP is in trouble in the Show-Me State.(RELATED: DeMint, Santorum Are Backing Akin Now) Reid Wilson explains: Republicans believe Akin's comments all but disqualify him from office, and several polls taken during the last month show McCaskill surging ahead.But there are broader ramifications: Republicans...

Now that we ALL know Todd Akin is NOT dropping out of the U.S. Senate race, we have an opportunity to let the GOP know how we feel about them holding back funding for him. With your help, we can send a message from not only Missourians but all other states that will get the GOP's attention between now and the election. When you click on the below url, you will be directed to an official RNC email form asking for your inputs. Please fill this out and send it to them. I have already sent one and intend to...

August 21 was the deadline for him to drop out and be replaced by another candidate without needing court approval. He passed. Today was the deadline to drop out with court approval, before the ballots are printed, which makes it effectively the last chance. Another pass.If you want McCaskill out, this is now the only game in town: With the deadline for him to exit the race just hours away, Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.) reaffirmed his commitment to staying in the race, saying that he has "one purpose going into November, and that's replacing Claire McCaskill."Akin said he'd be staying...

A powerful conservative PAC said today that "circumstances have changed" and it is reconsidering its decision to withhold funds for Todd Akin's bid for a Missouri Senate seat, and Akin's campaign said today they expect other groups will also resume spending. The statement by the Senate Conservatives Fund, a PAC led by South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, comes as the 5 p.m. CT deadline for Akin to quit the race looms. The campaign remains adamant that Akin will stay in the race, despite urging from the GOP hierarchy, including Mitt Romney. "In the words of Churchill, Todd will never, never,...

First some full disclosure: When Congressman Todd Akin made his now famous “remark” regarding a female rape victim’s physiological reaction to her violation I was one of those who called for him to give up his challenge to Democrat Claire McCaskill the Missouri Senator who was widely viewed as a dead duck. McCaskill is seen as the face of Obamacare in the Show me State and earlier a statewide referendum on Obamacare had crashed and burned 71/29. Moreover no honest person thinks Missouri is a state where Barack Obama will even do well let alone win and help down ballot...

First some full disclosure: When Congressman Todd Akin made his now famous “remark” regarding a female rape victim’s physiological reaction to her violation I was one of those who called for him to give up his challenge to ….McCaskill the Missouri Senator who was widely viewed as a dead duck. McCaskill …. "..face of Obamacare in the Show me State statewide referendum on Obamacare had crashed 71/29… At the time of the “remark” Republican Akin was about 10 points up even in widely available polls. Shortly afterward he dropped to being down about 10 points but subsequent polls have shown...

Appearing today at a fundraiser in Kirkwood, Missouri for Senate candidate Todd Akin, former Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich offered the support and encouragement that few others in his party have dared give. Abandoned by the GOP after his infamous “legitimate rape” comments, and crucified by the liberal and conservative media alike, Akin vowed to remain in the Senate race for the “long haul” and emerge victorious. After sharing his toxic views on women’s health, Akin’s conservative donors and supporters pulled out in droves, denouncing the candidate’s statements. This despite the fact that in 2011 Akin had co-authored a bill...

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- A conservative fundraising group that had shied away from Missouri Rep. Todd Akin is now seriously considering whether to come to the embattled Republican's aid in his challenge to Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, an official with the group said Monday. The Senate Conservatives Fund, which has raised more than $11 million for other Republican Senate candidates, could provide a much-needed financial boost for Akin, who is facing a Tuesday deadline on whether to stay in the race. Akin has vowed to remain in the contest. Appearing Monday at a Kirkwood, Mo., rally with former presidential...